Someone asked me last week what my Myers-Briggs Personality Types is. Cynical as I am about pop psychology, I don’t normally go in for this sort of thing. I had vague recollections of being tested in my final years of high school, and only because I was apparently one of the most extroverted people of 200 or so in our year 11 and 12. Hmmm….
Curious, I did the test again. And it returned a resounding result of ENFP. And if you believe this summary, it is pretty damn on point.
ENFPs have an unusually broad range of skills and talents. They are good at most things which interest them. Project-oriented, they may go through several different careers during their lifetime. To onlookers, the ENFP may seem directionless and without purpose, but ENFPs are actually quite consistent, in that they have a strong sense of values which they live with throughout their lives. Everything that they do must be in line with their values. An ENFP needs to feel that they are living their lives as their true Self, walking in step with what they believe is right. They see meaning in everything, and are on a continuous quest to adapt their lives and values to achieve inner peace. They’re constantly aware and somewhat fearful of losing touch with themselves. Since emotional excitement is usually an important part of the ENFP’s life, and because they are focused on keeping “centered”, the ENFP is usually an intense individual, with highly evolved values.
Particularly in the context of my family (none of whom are ENFPs, trust me, I tested them all), this makes an immense amount of sense. My parents couldn’t figure out where my strong sense of values, and what’s right and wrong came from, as they’re both more interested in the outcome. Now I know it is just how I am.
It isn’t all sunshine and roses though.
An ENFP needs to focus on following through with their projects. This can be a problem area for some of these individuals. Unlike other Extraverted types, ENFPs need time alone to center themselves, and make sure they are moving in a direction which is in sync with their values. ENFPs who remain centered will usually be quite successful at their endeavors. Others may fall into the habit of dropping a project when they become excited about a new possibility, and thus they never achieve the great accomplishments which they are capable of achieving.
I’ve been aware of this for a while, and become extremely conscious of my tendency to move on to something new if I’m uninspired by what I’m working on. In some senses it is a relief to know it is an inherent personality type so I can now look to working on it. I’ve noticed too, sometimes I’m so excited about the possibilities that I don’t want to actually DO anything to jeopardise things, in case they don’t work out as well as I hope they might. It is a nice reminder that I need to put as much energy into carrying through with things, than as getting excited about the possibilities, to make sure possibilities are realised.
Any other Myers-Briggs insights? Any fellow ENFPs out there with some great tips?